Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1887-12-10

III TIC pine tnicKet. Inc snow lay heavy
among the dark green branches, and
every slender needle was cncased in ice.
Dick rubbed his eyes. 1t was no dream
There was the thicket-but whose were
the voices that had rung out family from
beneath it?
A crowd of superstitions surged upon
him. He cast fearful glance at the
CHASTITY, snow covered woods and sheeted
earth. He was remembering fireside
legends, horrible enough to raise the hair
on civilized, educated boys head much
more horrible, then, to young barbarian
like Dick.
Suddenly those voices from the earth
again! One was ringing drunken catch
it broke into falsetto, and ended with
an unmistakable hiccup.
Dicks blood came back with a rush.
81 hev never hearn tell o. the boobies
gittin' boozy!" he said, with laugh.
That's whar they hev got the upper hand
O. humans"
As he gazed again at the thicket, he
saw now what he had been too much ag-
itated to observe before, a column of
dense smoke that rose from far down the
declivity, and seemed to make haste to
hide itself among the low-hanging boughs
of clump of fir trees.
''lt's somebody's house down thar
was Dicks conclusion. 81 kin find out
the way to Birk's Mill from the folkses." ="
When he neared the smoke he paused
abruptly, staring once more.
There was no house! The smoke rose
from among low pine bushes. Above
were the snow-laden branches of the fir.
''Ef that was house hyar l reckon
could see it," said Dick, doubtfully, in
finitely mystifed.
There was a continual drip, drip, all
around. Yet thaw had not set in. Dick
looked up at the gigantic icicles that
hung to the crags, and glittered in the
sun-not drop trickled from them. But
this firtree was dripping, dripping, and
the snow had melted away from the pine
bushes that clustered about the smoke.
There was heat below certainly, strong
heat, and somebody was keeping the fire
up steadily.
can air it folkses ez live underground
like foxes an sech, :" Dick exclaimed, as
tonishcd, as he came upon a large, irregu-
lsrly-shaped rift in the rocks, and heard
the same reeling voice from within, be-
ginning TO sing once more. But for
this bacchanalian melody the noise of
Dicks entrance might have given notice
OF his approach. As 1t was, the inhabi-
tants of this strange place were even more
surprised than he, when, after groping
through dark, low passage, an abrupt
turn brought him into lofty, vaulted
apartment. There was great flare of
light, which revealed six or seven muscu-
lar men grouped about large copper
vessel built into a rude stone furnace and
all the air was pervaded by an incom-
parably strong alcoholic odor. The bov
started back with look of terror. That
pale terror was reflected on each mans
face, as on mirror. At the sight of the
young stranger they all spranr up with
the same eesture-each instinctiyely laid
his hand upon the pistol that he wore.
Poor Dick understood it all at last.
He had stumbled upon nest of distil
lers, only too common among these
mountains. who were hiding from the
officers of the Government. and running
their still in defiance of the law and
whisky tax. He realized that in dis
covering their stronghold he had learned
a secret that was by no means safe one
for him to know. And he was in tn cir
power, at their mercy!
"Don't shoot" he faltered. 81 jes'
want ter AK the folkses ter tell me the
way ter Birk's Mill"
What would he have given to be on
the bleak mountain outside?
One of the men caught him as if antici-
pating an attempt run. Two or three,
after a low toned collo1uy, took their
rifles and crcpt cautiously outside to re-
connoiter the situation. Dick compre-
hended their suspicion with new quak-
ings. They imagined that he was a spy,
and had been sent among them to dis
cover them plying their forbidden voca-
tion. The penalty of their still was i'm
prisonment for them His heart sank as
he thought of it; they would never let
him go.
After time the accommodating party
came back.
"Nothin' stirrin'," said the leader,
tersely.